A Burning Nation
by Celeste Valo
Summary: AU -No Uchiha Massacre- -No Kyuubi attack on Konoha- After the fourth ninja war against Pain. many villages are left destitute in this extreme time of poverty, the ninjas from theses villages rebel against the Daimyos to create their own governments. The Daimyos send their samurai to crush these insurgents, but is the will of fire strong enough to challenge the might of the lands?
1. Prologue

Prologue:

In Edo, known throughout the continent as the pleasure capital of the world, the Daimyo of the land of fire, enjoys himself in the finest brothel in Edo with the company of 10 beautiful courtesans and 5 shirabyoshis along with the finest drink and food money can buy. His wife, Madame Shijimi on the other hand, located on the room next to her husband, was accompanied by his entourage of bodyguards and advisors, her room was dimly lit as across from her sat a woman dressed in an elaborate white and gold kimono, her age did not diminish her beauty as her long graying hair fell gracefully on her shoulder. The women stared at each other, as Madame Shijimi spoke.

"I'm sure you are aware of what has happened?"

"Of course, this recent war between the ninjas has shaken the very core of all the lands"

"Gonzen-san, I do not care for the petty wars of people beneath me, what I do care about is about the implications of it." Madame Shijimi, gestured to one of the advisors and he pulled from his kimono a scroll and gave it to Lady Gonzen. She opened it gently, and spread out the scroll on the tatami floor, it contained a list of names and locations each pertaining to the shinobi villages and the lands that governed them. Several of these names were already crossed out in red, Lady Gonzen studied the scroll carefully and then looked at the Madame Shijimi.

"The recent war has embolden these ninja into a revolution against the nobility They have created rogue states and some have already overthrown local lords and stolen territory from them like such is the case in the land of water. Even though the mizukage denies any involvement, her top operatives have been seen leading insurgents in many of the islands and have been seen leading one of the rogue states. The Daimyo of the land of Water has only been able to destroy only 2 of theses rogue states at the cost of half of his military, he and his family have fled to our borders for protection but-"

"You fear that it is only a matter of time before the rest of the lands fall at the hands and military might of the ninja" said Lady Gonzen as she hid the scroll in her breast

"Exactly, your mission is to eradicate all forms of ninja resistance in the lands as well as keeping tabs on villages that might have the potential to become subversive. This mission must be kept secret and is your highest priority, you may choose 10 of your most powerful to do this, but no more for we do not want to cause unnecessary suspicion. Do we have an accord?"

Lady Gonzen nodded respectfully towards Madame Shijimi while one of the advisors handed a large bamboo box, Lady Gonzen opened it and grabbed a single Oban from the inside. She smiled as she placed it back inside the box and closed it, Lady Gonzen stood up and bowed at Madame Shijimi, she then grabbed the box.

"Gonzen-san, you realize what is as stake if you fail this mission"

"I am well aware of the punishments of the land of fire, Shijimi-sama. The mission will be done" said Lady Gozen as she exited Madame Shijimi's room. Outside was a young man with a simple dark blue kimono waiting for Lady Gonzen, she gave him the box as she gestured him to follow her.

"Jun, I need you to get this box to our treasury as quickly as possible. Once you are done with that I need you to prepare transport, supplies and weapons for one of my samurai. I'll give you 3 hours."

"Understood, Gonzen-sama" said Jun as he bowed and went running with the box in tow towards the exit of the brothel. Lady Gozen walked towards one of the rooms at the far end of the floor, there in the light of a lantern, a voluptuous silhouette of a woman could be seen mixing with that of a man. Lady Gonzen opened the slide door and caught a scene of passion quite common in the floors of this building, Lady Gonzen then bowed respectfully at the man.

"Excuse me kind sir, but may I borrow Hamuko? It is only for a quick moment"

The man only grunted as he pulled of the maiden and then sat on her futon, Hamuko then stood up and bowed to man and followed Lady Gozen out of the room and into the hallway,

"Gonzen-sama, pulling me away from a client is not good for business you know?" said Hamuko as she straighten her kimono, Lady Gonzen removed the scroll from her breast and gave it to Hamuko, Hamuko opened the scroll slightly but was stopped by Lady Gozen.

"Hamuko, you must go to Konohagakure immediately. Finish up with this client and pack only the essentials you need. Jun will be waiting for you with supplies, weapons and a transport that will take you directly into Konohagakure unnoticed, open the scroll only when you are out of Edo"

Hamuko nodded in understanding as she placed the scroll in her breast, she turned and returned to her room. She smiled seductively as she placed the scroll on a small table and took off her kimono in a swift and elegant manner.

Hours passed, and Hamuko was already in carriage on route towards Konohagakure, when she opened the scroll and studied it carefully. It was abundantly clear to her the reasons for her swift departure. As she opened the flap of her carriage carefully and looked at the familiar sight of Edo once more, hoping to drink up every single one of its details as she left for unknown lands. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

The sun shone brightly on Konoha as new day dawned, many travelers including merchants and ninjas passed thru the enormous gates entering the beautiful village. Naruto walked peacefully with Hinata in tow towards a new Edo-style restaurant in the Uchiha compound. Sasuke had recently been promoted to Jonin which gave Sakura an excuse to not only make a party for Sasuke but to gawk like the rest of the girls at the Uchiha men. Hinata grabbed on to Naruto's arm tenderly, Naruto walked slowly as to enjoy every second he had alone with Hinata. He cherished every moment he could with her, as they barely had anytime to be together, with her being the Hyuga heiress and him the son of the hokage and now a war hero, their lives were so hectic, that any moment they had together was a gift.

In what seemed seconds, they reached the Uchiha Compound, it was one of the liveliest places in Konoha. With young children running to and fro, shopkeepers selling their wares, couples laughing and enjoying their time, as well as all the trees and nature that surrounded it. It was truly a peaceful place, as they arrived to the restaurant they saw some familiar faces in front of the huge wooden door.

"Hey! I was wondering when you two would show up!" said Sakura as she rushed to hug both of them, Naruto had missed Sakura, ever since she became Tsunade's apprentice and a Jonin, she's been incredibly busy. She has become more womanly since the last time he saw her, he body had gotten curvy as well as having a more full chest. She's kept her hair long, as well as acquiring a diamond on her forehead much like Tsunade. She was wearing a long red cheongsam with red heels, similar to what Ten-Ten wears.

"Wow, you look great Sakura-chan, I see that Ten-Ten rubbed off on you" said Hinata giggling, Sakura blushed slightly and she smiled at Hinata. "Well I do have to look cute, I mean the Uchiha men are quite a catch" said Sakura as she winked at Hinata. they both started giggling as they began catching up, Naruto nodded at Shikamaru, who looked the same as always except now he was sporting a goatee and with a habit of smoking. Rock Lee and Kiba hugged Naruto as they began making small talk as well, Ino then appeared, coming from the inside of the restaurant screaming at everybody to get inside because if not Chouji was going to eat all the food.

Once inside the restaurant, Naruto became awed by its beauty and its rustic charm, guided by Ino they reached a room. Ino opened the door and inside was Sasuke and his family accompanied by Itachi's best friend Shisui Uchiha, Obito Uchiha as well as the rest of Naruto's friends. Sasuke received Naruto with a huge hug almost knocking him back, it had been awhile since all of them were reunited. They sat down, ate and drank until the night sky began to approach, thats when Shisui grabbed Sasuke by the neck and began to speak.

"You know Sasuke, I've been to Edo and this little restaurant pales in comparison to the real ones"

"Really? Isn't Edo forbidden for Ninja to enter?" said Hinata quietly, Shisui then wink at her and said "It is but I disguised myself as civilian" Sasuke wiggled out of Shisui's grip and served himself a cup of sake and said "Shisui isn't that incredibly dangerous? You could've gotten killed if somebody found out your true allegiance"

Shisui pouts and brushes of Sasuke's comment with his hand "I wasn't going to come back home without first experiencing Edo, but man let me tell you. Its beautiful, with big red buildings stretching the sky, its alleyways and streets are blessed with the soft glows of lanterns as well as being full of life. The food is juicy and impeccably made and their sake? No words can describe how amazing the taste-"

"I'm surprised you haven't talked about the women, since apart from food and sake thats the only thing that occupies your otherwise empty head" said Itachi while he smiled slightly as everybody laughed, Shisui scowled at Itachi and stuck out his tongue at him.

"Well Itachi I was getting to that before you rudely interrupted me" said Shisui as Itachi rolled his eyes as he served himself another cup of tea. "But the most beautiful of all the things I saw there were the women, man I had never seen so many beautiful women in my life. Long black hair, skin as white as porcelain and as soft as silk and piercing eyes, but even with all those beautiful women, it could not compare to the one maiden who I met during my short stay at Edo"

"Here we go" said Itachi quietly while rolling his eyes, Shisui dramatically placed his hand on his chest "As I walked mindlessly thru the streets of Edo, after losing all of my money at gambling, thats when I saw her. A delicate beauty walking the streets, hair as black as night that fell gracefully on her shoulders, her light pink kimono hugged her body sensually as she walked with a grace I had only seen in nobility. She turned and looked at me with the most beautiful blue eyes, I'd ever seen and smiled at me, and I thought I was in heaven, thats when after I told her of my plight, she showed me amazing kindness. She fed me and gave me a place to stay and I of course repaid her kindness in the best way I know how said Shisui as he smiled lewdly, Hinata then spoke up shyly and said "How did you repay her kindness?" Shisui gestured Hinata to come close to him as he whispered in her ear, she immediately blushed and pushed Shisui away, as he laughed.

"Well at least thats something Konoha girls have that Edo women don't have, modesty"

"Shisui talks big, and yet he's managed to essentially scare off every single fiance he's had" said Obito laughing, Shisui stuck his tongue at Obito as everybody started laughing lightly. Fugaku then stood up with a cup of sake in his hand and spoke "I'd like to propose a toast, to Sasuke, my youngest son who has achieved the rank of Jonin and continues to make me proud, to Itachi, my eldest who this summer will be taking over my job as head of the Anbu, to Obito, may his engagement to Nohara-san make him happy, to Shisui, may he find a wife and become a much more serious shinobi and finally to all of you, you who are the future of this village, may you be happy and bring Konoha glory"

Everybody lifted their glasses in unison and drank, as night began to break, little by little, Sasuke's friends began to leave. First was team 10, due to the fact that Chouji had eaten way too much meat and had an awful stomach ache, then Ten-Ten and Neji carried a drunken and half naked Rock Lee out of the restaurant before he kept on making a fool of himself, Kiba left with a waitress draped on his arm, while Shino left to take care of Akamaru, Hinata and Naruto left arm in arm with Sakura right behind them. Fugaku, Mikoto and Obito were the last to leave, Mikoto hugging Sasuke tightly said goodbye to him while Fugaku merely nodded in approval, Obito smiled at Sasuke before he left with his parents. Once Sasuke's parents and Obito left, Shisui, then patted Sasuke's back and smiled coyly at him "Well now that you're a jonin and a man you are now ready to take part in the long standing tradition of the Uchiha"

"Shisui, I've had enough of your nonsense for one day, honestly how Itachi puts up with you I have no idea" said Sasuke with a tinge of annoyance in his voice, Shisui pouts and then gestures towards Itachi. He then stands up and looks at Sasuke seriously "What Shisui is saying is right, there is a tradition among the Uchiha which you could only take part once you were old enough. Father wanted you to go thru it once you turned fifteen but Mother urged him to wait until you reached the rank of Jonin in order and so he did, but she didn't know that you would become a Jonin so quickly. And so its up to me and Shisui to take you to the place where you'll take part in a long standing Uchiha tradition."

Sasuke stood up and looked at Itachi and Shisui seriously and said "Then I shall follow you". Itachi and Shisui smiled at each other as they left the restaurant. They kept walking towards a secluded part of the compound, on which Sasuke never ventured, Itachi and Shisui lead Sasuke towards a light blue building. Shisui went inside and talked with an old woman, he gave her a small bag in her hand and then gestured at Sasuke to enter the building. Sasuke with Itachi close behind him entered the building, "Well this is where me and Shisui must leave you, little brother" said Itachi smiling and patting his brother's shoulder affectionately.

"What is this place? What am I to do here?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Sasuke-chan" said Shisui coyly at Sasuke

"Follow Ebihara-san and relax, you'll do fine"

Sasuke nodded at his older brother and cousin and said goodbye to them, he followed the old woman. The small building only had three floors, and each of them bustling with sounds and life, by the third floor, Sasuke realized too late where he was. Sasuke's mind was filled with anxiety, as indulging in prostitution was one of the 3 capital things forbidden by ninja, he could get kicked of the Jonin force for this, worse he could go to prison. What the hell was Shisui and Itachi thinking? And what kind of old Uchiha tradition condones rule breaking? He bit his lip as he let theses thoughts consume him, he didn't even notice when the old woman stopped in front of a room.

"We are here young master, Shisui-sama has enlighten me of your coming of age. Rest assured that I will be as discreet as possible, no harm will come to your reputation. I hope you enjoy your stay" said the old woman as she bowed and then opened the door. Sasuke nodded in understanding and entered the room, Sasuke felt a surge of dread as the old woman closed the door.

"Hello, you must be Sasuke-sama, I've been waiting for you"

Sasuke turned to face a beautiful girl wearing a traditional white and royal blue kimono, her yellow obi was untied, which Sasuke deduced was for easier access. She was sitting on a chair next to the window as she smiled at Sasuke, the room was simple with light yellow walls, a medium sized bed, a small bookcase next to the window where she was sitting and a small chest next to the bed. Sasuke nervously approached the girl, she then stood up and took off her kimono completely, leaving Sasuke in a tizzy. The girl giggles at him "Is this the first time you see a woman naked, Sasuke-sama?" Sasuke turns away from the girl and picks up her kimono only to drape it on her shoulders "No, its not". The girl looks at him curiously as she adjusts her kimono and smiles at Sasuke, Sasuke turns to face her, she lifts up her hair and flawlessly ties it into a ponytail all while looking at Sasuke with the biggest purple eyes he had ever seen "You have a girlfriend do you not?" Sasuke blushed again and stayed in silence "Or is she your teammate? I've heard that you ninja are forbidden from-" "You are quite nosy for a whore you know that?" She chuckled at his comment as she walked toward as small table next to her bed, there she grabbed a lit red kiseru and began smoking from it, she sat on the bed as she looked at Sasuke seriously.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not used to this"

"Its fine, come, sit next to me Sasuke-sama" said the girl as smiled gently at him, Sasuke sighed and sat down next to her. She placed her kiseru on the table, as she turned to face Sasuke and grabbed his hand tenderly.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't feel up to it Sasuke-sama"

"But-" immediately the girl placed her hand on his mouth and giggled shyly

"Again, we don't have to do anything, I'll tell Ebihara-san that you ravished me or something. The last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable" said the girl as she placed her hands back on her lap and smiled slightly at Sasuke, Sasuke blushed yet again. He brushed his hair back while smiling slightly at the girl "Whats your name?"

"Koyuki" said the girl as she twirled her ponytail with her fingers, Sasuke and her talked until almost dawn, Sasuke succumbing to exhaustion fell asleep in Koyuki's arms. It was nearly noon when Sasuke awoke, Koyuki was still sleeping peacefully next to him. He smiled as he covered her with a blanket, he left her room and made his way towards the exit, bowing to Ebihara before leaving the small brothel. He began walking towards his house, Sasuke was mentally exhausted from yesterday's events and once he reached his house, he locked himself up in his room. As Sasuke laid on his bed processing everything that happened, he found himself thinking of Koyuki, as if unable to let her out of his mind, he felt possessed. He tossed and turned, until it became unbearable, he needed to see her again, if only for a few seconds. He took a quick shower and changed his clothes, he jumped from his window and ran towards the small brothel. It was hours later when Sasuke didn't show up for dinner that Mikoto became incredibly worried, she then along with Itachi went up to Sasuke's room.

Mikoto knocked on Sasuke's door

"Sasuke, are you alright?"

No answer, Itachi then knocked with more force on Sasuke's door

"Little brother, you didn't come to dinner and mom is worried about you. Open the door!"

Still no answer, Itachi then unlocked the door and opened it, only to find the room empty. Itachi sighed in annoyance as it was obvious that his brother had left long ago.

"Oh, where could your brother have gone?" said Mikoto with a worried tone of voice, Itachi then kissed his mother's hands "Don't worry mother, I'll find him". Mikoto smiled at her son, as he left the house abruptly in order to find him. Meanwhile Fugaku was in the Hokage's chambers, he had just been informed of some incredibly troubling news.

"Namikaze-sama, I have some bad news"

"Fugaku-san unless this is about security measures for the chunin exams, I have no interest in knowing about it" said the Hokage as he brushed off Fugaku and focused on several papers that were in front of him. Fugaku placed a blue folder on the Hokage's desk

"I'm afraid you can't afford to be neutral any more, Namikaze-sama. Just now my scouts have informed me that six ninja settlements close to to Iwagakure were destroyed and their entire population decimated. The Tsuchikage's personal guard is all but decimated as well as some of their most talented ninjas, they are asking for Konoha's aid in this dark time"

"Fugaku-san, you know as well as I do that if I enter that fray that could very well be Konoha's fate. Besides are the Iwa ninjas so weak that they can't handle the Earth Daimyo's army?"

"It was not the army that created this catastrophe, but rather a type of warrior I never thought I would encounter in my lifetime"

"What are you talking about?"

"Open the folder, Namikaze-sama"

The Hokage opened the folder and amongst the maps and reports, he found a single picture. In this picture was the figure of man dressed in a dark green kimono top, black nakama tied together with a black obi belt, his face was covered by a large bamboo hat while his hands were holding a katana in a battle position, at his feet were the corpses of several ninja. The Hokage looked at the picture with fear as he then directed his gaze towards Fugaku.

"How can this be? There hasn't been sighting of a samurai since the warring states period, they don't leave the Land of Iron much less involve themselves in ninja affairs"

"It does not matter where they are from, what matters is that they are here and are an incredibly dangerous threat. News of theses samurai will more than likely spread which is why we need to decide on which side we are on Namikaze-sama."

"Has there been anymore sightings, Fugaku-san?"

"Yes, other than this male samurai at the outskirts of Iwa, there has been reports of a samurai in the Land of Snow as well as in Kumogakure. But there has been some casualties, the land of Sound in which Orochimaru-sama established his own village has been completely destroyed, as well as the ninja settlements to the northwest of Takigakure. Unfortunately, Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto-san's whereabouts are currently unknown, all of them point towards a single samurai, albeit different than the one in Iwa. Our intelligence network believes that they are working together and that they are effectively killing ninjas and villages affiliated with the rebellion."

The Hokage breathes deeply as he stands up and looks at Fugaku seriously "Fugaku-san, I want you to double check immigrant records of the past 3 months following the rebellion and the success of the Mizukage in establishing the ninja states in the Land of Water and I want you to check every single immigrant that has settled here since then. I have no doubt that there is already a samurai in our village, hidden and waiting to strike once we form part of the rebellion. Once you find the suspect, I want them jailed and interrogated at once. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Namikaze-sama I shall see to it at once"

"Also send some of your best ANBU troops to help with Iwa's efforts against this samurai, but I want them disguised as mercenary ninja with no affiliation to us. Be as discreet as possible Fugaku-san."

Fugaku nodded in agreement and bowed at the Hokage while he rushed out of his office. Miles away from Konoha, in a small bordering town. A bespectacled woman sat in a tea shop, her shabby kimono hid her well from prying eyes as she drank her tea peacefully. Suddenly a man sat down with her; The man was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with a flak jacket belonging to Konoha along with black pants and ninja sandals. His long black hair was tied in a ponytail and he had a handsome face, the woman scowled slightly at him. The man then discreetly placed a scroll and a small silver bracelet on the table, the woman nodded and took theses items and hid them in her breast, the woman then chuckled at him as she poured him a cup of tea.

"Well Kenta, what is the news?"

"Izanaya has just finished crushing the last form of resistance in the land of the sound and is helping the Daimyo restructure his military in case the ninjas decide to attack again"

"What about Yusuke, in the Land of Earth?"

"Yusuke has managed to destroy most of the ninja settlements near Iwagakure but the Tsuchikage's forces are becoming more and more intrepid, he has asked for backup and so thats where I'm heading"

"I did tell Lady Gozen that it was too much for Yusuke and now you have to clean up his mess" said the woman with a tinge of annoyance, Kenta merely sighed as he drank from his cup.

"It can't be helped, he done well so far, he just underestimated the loyalty of the Tsuchikage's subjects as well as their intelligence corps. theres already word on the return of the samurai to the ninja world."

"That idiot, this is why you shouldn't let anything to rookies."

"This is a good thing, Himiko, with this huge threat looming over their heads, the villages will no doubt show their true colors. Just now the Hokage of Konoha has been informed of the problems in Iwagakure and has agreed to send four of his most talented ANBU operatives to help the Tsuchikage...Well three in this case. I shall keep a close eye on the operatives and Yusuke, how are things fairing for you?" said Kenta as he poured himself more tea, Himiko then pulled a different scroll from her breast and gave it to Kenta. He swiftly hid it in one of his pockets.

"The shinobi of the Land of Wind has been very discreet in terms of their movements, but there has been some reports of attacks by shinobi on the various merchant routes towards Kyo, the capital of The Land of Wind. As well as the destruction of various checkpoints towards Kyo, the Kazekage is not in full control of his village as it would seem. For by pledging loyalty to the Daimyo has cost him the loyalty of several of his subjects, it is probable that there is a separate group of people attempting to undermine the Kazekage's authority and involve the village in the rebellion as well, there is also talk about a coup d'etat in the streets of Sunagakure but as I mentioned before it is incredibly discreet."

"Are you planning on attacking any time soon?"

"No, I am still gathering intel and attacking right now would be too premature, it could very well compromise my mission. If Suna steps out of bounds, I'll make my presence known"

"I shall keep you informed of any new details I find on the way" said Kenta as he began to stand up, Himiko grabbed him by the arm with enough force to make him sit down again.

"Have you heard from Hamuko?" said Himiko worriedly

"I haven't, all I know is that she has infiltrated Konoha successfully and is now gathering intel. Lady Gonzen does not want us to contact her unless its absolutely necessary for fear of having her identity known, but I'm sure shes fine. She is a strong onna bugeisha and she wouldn't let herself get caught." said Kenta smiling, Himiko nodded as she stood up and looked at Kenta seriously "I wish you success Kenta, let meet here again at the dawn of a new moon"

Kenta nodded as they both left the tea shop, going in separate paths. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

**[Sorry for the delay! University had me beat, hopefully now that its summer I'll be able to update more! Please remember to leave your thoughts and comments on the comments section!] ((I do not own Naruto!)) **

Sasuke had been standing in front of the brothel for almost five hours, it was already dusk and it was raining hard. Sasuke was drenched in rain as he looked on towards the brothel as if she would suddenly burst from its walls. The men guarding the brothel didn't wear any ninja headbands, just traditional kimonos, but by the looks of them Sasuke could tell that they were skilled warriors.

_Mercenaries, so far from Kyo...What are they doing in Konoha? And guarding a brothel that nobody knows about? Thats very strange,_ thought Sasuke. The men shifted their feet and began to glare at him, Sasuke placed his hands on his pockets while he counted the number of men in front of him. _There are six in front of the brothel but I can bet that there are more inside, at least three to watch over the women, in case a customer decides to run or beat them. There also must be at least two in back, to prevent the customer to escape if the men inside don't capture him...Or to prevent the women from escaping. Why such heightened security? This building is complete inconspicuous unless you venture inside, nobody would know its true purpose_.

Suddenly, a man with grey kimono approached the building, his long brown hair and white eyes were a dead giveaway for Sasuke. _If a member of the main family from the Hyuga clan is here, it means that this brothel is not only known by the Uchihas but by other clans._ Sasuke chuckled as he observed the man entering the brothel. _Clever, it was smart of them to put it inside the compound, knowing full well that since The Uchiha clan has always been in charge of the police force that it would never be found or reported. But what does the clan benefit from having an illegal brothel inside Konoha?_

An older man stepped out of the brothel, Sasuke turned his attention to him. Just like the guards he was wearing a traditional kimono and had a beautiful red umbrella, he wore his hair gray into a graceful braid while his haggard face merely grimaced at Sasuke, the guards walked towards the man and stood behind him. _This is bad, I'm outnumbered and without my pouch on me, I won't be able to smoke bomb my way out of here. And I certainly can't fight them here, with civilians everywhere, I have to think of a plan and fast,_ thought Sasuke as he placed himself in a more defensive position.

"My men tell me that you've been here for quite some time, are you interested in one of our girls?" said the man with a lecherous smile but Sasuke merely glared at him. "You are most welcome inside, we have beds, good food, tea and-"

"I don't have any money" said Sasuke with cold indifference.

The man's countenance changed quickly as he whispered something to the nearest guard. The guard nodded as he proceeded to crack his knuckles, the other men following suit.

"It's nothing personal young man, we can't have poor ninja standing in front of our doors, scaring off customers, it's bad for business," said the older man. He walked towards one of the guards and whispered, "Make sure, he doesn't come back anymore. Are we clear?" And with that the guards closed in on Sasuke.

They all came at him with force. Although Sasuke was able to successfully avoid most of their attacks, one of the guards delivered a massive punch that made Sasuke fly to the nearest light post. Sasuke slowly stood up, but was immediately grabbed by the neck and pinned to the light post. His vision was blurring, and his body felt heavy, he saw a bright green light emerging from the man's knuckles as he felt his chakra rapidly being drained away. _My chakra reserves will be completely gone in a couple of minutes if I don't do something right away, I can't even activate my sharingan._ thought Sasuke as the man squeezed tighter on his neck, making it harder for him to breath.

"Thats enough!"

The guards turned and faced a young woman, her long black hair was tied in a loose ponytail that moved with the wind, her hime style bangs complemented her big purple eyes and soft pink lips. She wore a bright yellow kimono with a light green obi, a dark blue haori with white tabi socks and zori sandals. Her delicate features contoured with anger as she directed herself again at the guards, particularly at the man still holding Sasuke by the neck.

"Miyamoto-san thats enough! Leave him alone!"

"The Boss told us to get rid of him, we ain't running this business for poor ninja, so go fuck a client instead of telling us what to do."

"He _is _a client, you overgrown troglodyte!"

"What the fuck are you talking about? He has no fucking money!"

"He doesn't need any damn fucking money, you imbecile! That "poor" ninja that you are almost squeezing to death, is the son of the head of the police force! If word gets out that you killed Fugaku Uchiha's son, there's not gonna be any business. So let him go and fuck off!" said the woman in a threatening tone.

Miyamoto let go of his hold on Sasuke and the woman rushed to help him up. She placed his right arm on her shoulder and her hand on his waist, lifting him off the ground and onto his feet. Slowly but steadily, she was able to make Sasuke walk. She lead them inside the brothel, guiding his steps.

Little by little, Sasuke regained a bit of his energy and his vision began to clear. He realized that he was now inside the brothel. He recognized the hallway as the one the old woman had taken him through his first time there. The young woman led him towards a room almost at the end of the hallway. She opened the door, and led him in. She set him down on a chair next to the window, then quickly went to the bathroom located at the end of the room and stayed there for a couple of minutes. Sasuke realized where he was just as she returned with a small clean towel and a bottle of alcohol.

"Honestly, for a ninja you sure are pretty reckless" said the woman smiling kindly at Sasuke. He felt his cheeks redding little by little.

"I'm sorry, Koyuki-san."

"You need to be more careful. Those men down there aren't your usual guards. They are trained assassins from Edo, and they use chakra draining weapons that are dangerous to ninja. So it wouldn't be wise to anger them. Not that I need to tell you that," said Koyuki as she dabbed the cloth with a bit of alcohol. "I'm sorry, but this is going to sting a little".

Koyuki placed the cloth gently on Sasuke's face. He winced at the stinging sensation it brought but also felt a sense of comfort. He breathed in the smell of chrysanthemums and sakura petals emanating from Koyuki and a sensation of relief and longing washed over him like a waterfall. Sasuke watched her every movement as she moved to and fro: placing the cloth and the alcohol on the small night table close to the bed, pulling a small kettle from the small chest nearby, and then heading to the bathroom. He could hear the water rushing from the faucet. He shifted a little in his seat.

_What the hell am I doing here? I should be home,_ he thought as he took a deep breath, looking out the window. From here he could see most of the compound as well as part of the Hokage Monument. It was still raining heavily and a sort of cold wind had taken place but it didn't diminish the beauty of scene before him. Koyuki came back with two cups in hand and handed one to Sasuke.

"Drink it, it'll replenish your strength," said Koyuki with a smile as she leaned on the window and sipped from her cup. Sasuke nodded and drank as well. He winced when he tasted the liquid and swallowed it as quietly as he could.

"How is it?"

"It might be the most horrible thing I've ever tasted, but I suppose that's a talent in and of itself." said Sasuke with a grimace on his face.

Koyuki laughed heartily and placed her cup on the edge of the window. Koyuki walked toward him and placed her hands softly on his face, gently brushing his bangs to side. She checked for any injury that she might have missed. Sasuke breathed in her scent again and closed his eyes, relaxing.

"So why did you come here again?" asked Koyuki softly as she gently lowered her hands from his face and moved toward the window. He opened his eyes and looked at her again. He stood up little by little.

"I wanted to see you again".

Koyuki sighed and then smiled.

"You know that you can lose your job right?"

"I know, but I still wanted to see you" said Sasuke plainly as Koyuki sighed deeply.

"I have to work soon, Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke blushed slightly as embarrassment washed over him. "I'm sorry. I was inconsiderate."

"No, it's ok," said Koyuki smiling tenderly at him. She walked towards him and squeezed his hand gently. "Come back tomorrow, at midnight. And this time don't wait in front of the brothel. Climb through my window. I'll leave it open for you."

"But won't the guards notice if someone is climbing through the window?"

"You're a ninja aren't you? Be stealthy about it," said Koyuki as she giggled at him. Sasuke smiled slightly as he looked out the window.

Suddenly, somebody knocked on the door.

"Yes?" replied Koyuki as she loosened her obi belt.

"Koyuki, you have a customer."

"Coming!" said Koyuki quickly. She then looked at Sasuke who was getting ready to jump through the window. Koyuki gave him a quick squeeze on his arm and whispered in his ear. "Remember, tomorrow at midnight". Sasuke nodded in understanding and jumped from the window.

He landed softly on the ground and proceeded to check his surroundings. He realized that he was in the back of the brothel and much to his relief there wasn't any guards to be seen. He quickly ran towards his house, jumping from roof to roof as fast as his legs could take him. When he finally got home his legs buckled with exhaustion. He manage to muster a bit of strength to climb his bedroom window and once inside his room, he collapsed on his bed.

He tried to process everything that had happened in the past few days: his promotion to jonin, celebrating with his family and friends, meeting Koyuki and how she had begun to consume his mind, little by little. He shook his head, feeling immensely guilty.

He had just begun to be intimate with Sakura and things were starting out fine. They had nothing serious of course and almost nobody knew about it, but still they had already gone out on a couple of dates with a few kisses in between. Being a ninja left almost no room for normal dating, so soon after a brief courtship, if both their parents agreed, they would be married. Even thinking about Koyuki was something like a betrayal towards Sakura, not only his precious teammate and friend but soon his girlfriend and later wife.

But he couldn't get her smile out of his head or her gentle hands and the way she smelled which was utterly intoxicating. He kept thinking about her and what she did for a living-giving men pleasures which they should be at home enjoying from their wives-and how miserable she must be. Sasuke knew that most women who are prostitutes only turn to that life because of how little options they have. Sasuke wondered if Koyuki was once a normal woman whose husband or family fell into debt or that she was forced into the business by being manipulated by a man she loved.

It was then that Sasuke realized that he knew nothing about this woman who was consuming his mind except for her name, which was probably fake. His body started to give in to exhaustion as Sasuke began to close his eyes little by little and drift into a tired slumber.

Morning approached in Konoha. The sun rose, shining down on every building in bustling village. In the Namikaze/Uzumaki household, Kushina was already preparing breakfast while her husband Minato was already sitting at the table reading a newspaper. They were exchanging pleasant small talk when there was a knock on the door.

"Honey could you get that?" asked Kushina. "I'm still frying eggs."

"Of course" replied Minato as he smiled at his wife and placed his newspaper on the dining table. He walked toward the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway were Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino, Chouji, Neji and Rock Lee. Minato smiled at them. "Well hey, isn't this a surprise."

"Hey, Minato-san. Is Naruto in?" asked Kiba with a smile.

"He is. Would you guys like to come in? We're just having breakfast."

"Did you say breakfast?" said Chouji as he entered and sat right down on the dining room table.

Kushina laughed as she pointed to Chouji and the boys. "Come on in! Make yourselves at home! I'll make extra portions for all of you".

With most of them sitting at the dining table, Neji approached Minato respectfully. "Hokage-sama, I do not mean to be rude but we all must speak to Naruto first. It's important".

Kushina pointed towards the hallway with her spatula, smiling. "Naruto is in his room. You guys can go and get him. I'll call you guys down when breakfast is ready."

Neji nodded to Kushina and Minato and gestured for the others to follow him. It wasn't hard to find Naruto's room, since his door was filled with pictures of ramen and comic book heroes.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the door and opened it. As expected, Naruto's room was a complete mess. There were clothes and weapons strewn about everywhere. His walls were filled with posters, and his desk with pictures of his teammates, friends and family. Naruto was sleeping on his bed in his boxers, snoring loudly and drooling. Kiba whistled loudly and Naruto jumped straight off his bed and onto the floor.

"Hey! Whats the big idea?!" said Naruto with a scowl on his face as Kiba and the rest started laughing.

"Move and get dressed. After we eat some breakfast we need to leave," said Shikamaru in his usual bored tone.

Naruto scratched his head as he stood up to face them. "Why the hell for? It's my day off!"

"Sasuke hasn't been home in a couple of days. He hasn't been seen since his party and, well, his mother is pretty worried," said Shino.

"What?! Did you ask Itachi if he knew where he was?!"

"We did but he doesn't know either, although he does have his suspicions on where he might be. Since it's really sensitive information, he only revealed it to us just in case trouble starts brewing," Chouji said as Naruto nodded in understanding.

He looked at his group of friends. "Tell me."

The group looked at each other as Neji stepped forward and faced Naruto.

"Itachi believes that he might be frequenting the brothel that's inside the compound. But that's unlikely since Sasuke left his wallet in his room and-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, let me get this straight. Sasuke Uchiha, the biggest tightass, workholic, no-social-life-ninja in the village, who just barely mustered up the courage to take Sakura for a date, is frequenting a _brothel_?" Naruto laughed.

Neji sighed as he massaged his temples. "You can laugh all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that he's been missing for awhile now and that's the only lead we have. So get dressed. We're leaving the second we finish eating."

They left Naruto in his room to put on some fresh clothes after a quick shower. He combed his wet hair with his fingers and tied his headband on his forehead.

He left his room and headed towards the dining table. Chouji was already eating his third plate; Neji was speaking with Minato; Rock Lee and Kiba were chatting about Taijutsu; Shino was talking to Kushina about the role of insects in chakra control; Shikamaru ate silently; and Kushina was serving a small bowl of meat for Akamaru.

"Well, it's about time you woke up! Would you like some toast and bacon with your eggs?" said Kushina in a playful tone.

"Sure, Mom."

"Honestly, you get lazier everyday, Naruto. Soon you'll be able to beat Shikamaru in that department."

"Oh, leave him be. He rarely has any days off. Besides, I'd rather have him here than chasing girls and gambling like that Shisui Uchiha," Minato said as he grabbed Naruto and ruffled his hair. Naruto sat down as his mother placed his plate in front of him before sitting down with her own plate.

"Speaking of Uchihas, how's Sasuke doing? I heard he was promoted to jonin," Kushina said as she beamed at Naruto who had his mouth full with breakfast.

"Yeah, he was! We all celebrated a couple of days ago at this new Edo style barbeque joint in the compound" replied Kiba excitedly at Kushina, while Minato looked curiously at the boys.

"Edo style barbeque?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage! It's located near the ninja weaponry shop. The food is pretty amazing!" said Lee with his usual enthusiasm.

Minato scratched his head in confusion. "Since when has that been there? I don't remember authorizing the construction of a barbeque."

"Well, actually, it's the old beef bowl restaurant. They just changed owners," said Kiba casually as he finished eating.

Naruto had just finished his breakfast and was standing up with the others following suit. Kushina got up and started picking up their plates from the table.

"Don't stay out too late guys! And please make it home in time for dinner, Naruto!"

Naruto waved at his mother and left the apartment with his friends, jumping from the balcony to the ground.

Naruto couldn't help but think about what his friends had told him. Sasuke had been missing for a few days. Usually that wouldn't worry him because Sasuke tends to go off on his own but usually he lets somebody know where he is. But this time, it's different. It's like he disappeared like a ghost and the only lead they have is apparently a brothel inside the compound. Naruto rubbed his temples in exasperation. No wonder they couldn't tell any of the girls. They would flay Sasuke alive. Especially Sakura. Not to mention that going to a brothel was illegal for ninja.

"I keep thinking about this guys, and it's so unlike Sasuke to do this. Like, he can barely talk to a girl. Better yet, he doesn't even _like _talking to girls. He rarely gives anybody the time of day, except, well, us. And even then, how do we know that it _is_ Sasuke and not somebody else? God knows that all those Uchihas look the same," said Naruto with a laugh.

Neji looked at Naruto and rolled his eyes. "I know. But Itachi is counting on us."

"Then why doesn't _he_ do it? It's his brother after all. Why send us?" asked Chouji.

Shikamaru shot his teammate an annoyed look. "Because, you idiot, Itachi is taking over as head of the police force. If word gets out that Sasuke is missing it could cause a huge problem and Itachi looking for him is a dead giveaway."

"Besides, it could be nothing more than Sasuke's mother overreacting. But we still have to check it out," said Kiba nonchalantly.

The boys searched for Sasuke all throughout Konoha, jumping and exploring every building, every crevice, nook and cranny, to no avail. Now deep into the night, they regrouped in front of the Uchiha compound. Naruto, in his annoyance, threw a rock towards the sky.

"Goddamnit! Where the hell is he!?"

"Shino did you search for Sasuke's chakra signal with your bugs?" said Kiba,

"I did, but Sasuke has hidden it quite well. Either that or he has blended his chakra with the rest of his clansmen in order for us not to find him."

"Well he's not a jonin for nothing," said Shikamaru, sighing deeply and rubbing his temples.

"It's almost midnight, guys. We should regroup and try again tomorrow," said Lee with a tired look on his face.

Suddenly, Shino spoke. "Wait, I'm getting something." A small insect flew toward his finger. He stared at it for a small while and looked at everybody. "Guys, I think I have something."

"What?! Where is he then?!" Naruto asked impatiently.

"I'm getting a very faint chakra signal from Sasuke. But it's moving fast and I can't put a precise location."

"Leave it to me," said Neji, as he activated his Byakugan, and immediately scanned the compound until he was able to hone in on Sasuke. He looked at Kiba and Akamaru "Sasuke is in the far right of the compound next to the training grounds but he's moving fast, I need you two track his scent and make sure we don't lose him"

"You got it! Lets go Akamaru!" Kiba smelled the air as he, Akamaru and Neji took the lead, they jumped quickly from rooftop to rooftop. After twenty minutes of intense running, Naruto noticed that they were already in the far north of the compound where old and derelict buildings from the time of the founding of the village stood. Suddenly Kiba, Akamaru and Neji stopped in front of the back of a light blue building; Neji gestured at the gang to keep quiet, they blended with the shadows as they saw Sasuke approaching the building. Sasuke was wearing a long dark cloak with a hood that covered his face, he looked up towards the third story window. Sasuke quickly jumped towards the open third story window and grabbed onto the ledge and climbed inside swiftly. Kiba then nudged at Naruto and smirked

"So, looks like your old pal Sasuke has a taste for whores"

"We don't even know if this is a brothel you asshat" said Naruto glaring at Kiba

"Naruto is right, it could be Sasuke's new hideou-"

Suddenly Neji was interrupted by the sight of a woman, her upper body was clearly seen dangling from the second story window, her breasts moved vigorously as she moaned in pleasure while a man could be seen thrusting behind her and pulling her hair. Naruto blushed and looked away as did Shino and Shikamaru with a tinge of embarrassment and annoyance on his face, Chouji held a shocked expression while Rock Lee clenched his fist in determination saying YOUTH! with a completely red face, Neji turned to see the scene unfold behind him only to turn again facing his team with an embarrassed look on his face. Kiba just smirked and grabbed Naruto and placed his arm around him

"That cinches it, this is a brothel. Looks like Sasuke's not as innocent as you thought Naru-chan" said Kiba as he playfully grabbed Naruto's cheek. Naruto pouted and stuck his tongue out at Kiba. Neji glared at the two as he spoke

"Brothel or no brothel, its clear that our job is done. We've located Sasuke and since he's in no danger, theres no reason for us to track him or interfere with his business."

"Wait a minute, Itachi told us specifically that we were to find out where he is and once we did, we had to escort him back home. Not find out and then leave, that's sloppy and you know it Neji" said Shikamaru matter of factly

"So that means that we have to enter this place?" said Shino quietly

The gang looked at each other awkwardly, each shifting their feet and looking aimlessly either at the floor or at the sky. After 5 minutes of this awkward silence, Kiba stomped his foot on the ground and glared at the boys

"We can't just sit here and do absolutely nothing! Itachi-san tasked us with a mission and we're not gonna fail it just because Sasuke is in a building full of naked women!"

"I'm not entering that den of iniquity, it would be a dishonor to myself and my clan and I would never be able to look at Hinata-sama in the face ever again" said Neji as he blushed and turned his face away

"You won't be able to face Hinata?! I won't be able to face Sakura, my mom and her! And of they find out I was in that place...They would kill me!" Naruto said with a shudder as he screamed at Neji.

"Look at both of you! I can't believe that you two are the slightest bit intimidated by mere girls. I swear, women are troublesome" said Shikamaru sighing in annoyance, Naruto then glared at Shikamaru as he pointed at him

"Oh yeah? What would Temari and Ino do if they found out you were in this place?!"

Shikamaru shuddered and looked at a wall with a face of pure horror, Naruto then nodded and said "Thats what I thought!"

"No wonder Itachi didn't want the girls investigating this, it would've been utter chaos and Sasuke would've been worse for wear" said Chouji quietly while Shino nodded

"Hey I got an idea! Why don't we just let Lee, Shino and Chouji pick up Sasuke? They all have nothing left to lose" said Naruto while nervously smiling at them

"Are you insane?! Ino will tear me a new one if she finds out!" said Chouji screaming at Naruto while Lee began to cry and said with an aghast look on his face

"Thats nothing compared to what Ten-Ten will do to me! She'll use me as training dummy for her weapons plus Sakura will pummel me and may never want to see me again!"

Shino said nothing and looked at the wall with a completely red face, Kiba then stomped his foot on the ground in exasperation and anger

"Goddamn it! You're all acting like academy brats! We're ninja! No matter the mission, we carry it out and we do it successfully! The brother of a comrade of ours gave us a mission and all of you are just gonna turn back like cowards just because you can't handle seeing some tities?!"

The boys shifted their feet awkwardly as a strained silence overcame the atmosphere, Kiba angry gestured for Akamaru to come with him. He then glared at the boys with disdain and said

"If you guys won't come with me, I'll do this mission by myself! Come on Akamaru!"

Kiba ran towards the brothel with Akamaru in tow as Neji yelled at him

"Kiba no! Come back!" said Naruto

"Goddamn it Kiba! C'mon guys, lets follow him and make sure he doesn't make trouble" said Neji as he and the rest of the guys began running behind Kiba

"How troublesome" said Shikamaru with annoyance marking his features

Koyuki sat on her usual chair by the window with Sasuke sitting on the floor next to her. She was wearing a light blue kimono with a small dark blue obi while barefoot, her hair laid loose around her left shoulder as she looked down on Sasuke. Sasuke was wearing long dark blue pants that cut off around the shin with bandages around his legs and black ninja shoes, with a black long sleeved shirt and a silver necklace with the uchiha crest. Sasuke smiled slightly at her as he spoke softly about trivial things like his team and his friends, Koyuki would giggle and respond usually with a witty remark that would make Sasuke chuckle.

"I love the fact that you ninja get to travel all the continent and go to all sorts of places and see all sorts of people and eat all kinds of food. Thats so cool!"

"You make it sound as if we go on vacations" said Sasuke smiling softly at her, looking at her as she crossed her legs. He couldn't help but stare as her kimono lifted up showing her thighs, Sasuke blushed and looked away

"I know but still thats pretty amazing, getting to go where ever you please, even if it is for a mission" said Koyuki sadly as she looked outside of her window, Sasuke stood up and looked at her, he leaned on the window as he looked at her gently.

"Can you leave during the day?"

"Sure, only on certain days and we're only allowed to walk inside the Uchiha compound"

"Oh, well um…"

"What is it Sasuke-sama?" said Koyuki as she stood up to meet Sasuke's gaze, Sasuke looked away embarrassed and waved his hand as if to brush off the subject.

"Its nothing, forget I mentioned it"

Koyuki merely smiled as she grabbed Sasuke's wrist and squeezed it tenderly. She looked out the window and gazed outside, taking in the fresh air and night sky. Koyuki saw a group of men running towards the brothel with a huge white dog, Koyuki pulled on Sasuke's sleeve as he turned towards Koyuki.

"What is it?"

"Look at that huge white dog! How cute, I've never seen anything like that!"

"White dog?"

Sasuke then looked outside, and saw Akamaru running towards the brothel with Kiba next to him, but behind Kiba was Naruto, Neji, Rock Lee, Shino, Chouji and Shikamaru.

"Fuck, shit" said whispered Sasuke as he turned away from the window and picked up his cloak from Koyuki's bed and put it on as quickly as he can.

"Sasuke-sama?"

"I have to go" said Sasuke as he headed towards the window ready to jump

"Whats going on?" said Koyuki worriedly at him, Sasuke then looked at Koyuki softly

"I'll come here again during the day, leave the window open for me"

And with that Sasuke jumped Koyuki's window, he gracefully landed on the ground. He took one last look at Koyuki's window and sighed as Kiba and the gang appeared within minutes.

"Well I gotta say you are one hard man to find Sasu-chan" said Kiba with a smirk, Sasuke merely glared at them and said curtly.

"We can't talk here, meet me at the training grounds near my house"

And with that Sasuke raised his hands and made the tiger hand sign, a puff of smoke appeared and Sasuke disappeared. Kiba then threw his hands in anger

"Damn theses fucking Uchihas and their damn Body flicker technique! NOT ALL OF US CAN FUCKING MAGICALLY POOF TO PLACES! Goddamn it!"

"Kiba quit your bitchin' its getting on my nerves"

"You know what's getting on my damn nerves? You're goddamn teammate thats what! Disappearing for days without telling nobody where the fuck he is, making us chase him all over fucking Konoha and in this damn compound that is a fucking maze which lead us to a goddamn brothel and then when we do find him, he disappears asking to talk to us in some damn training grounds. You know what that is, Naruto?!"

"What?"

"Some fucking bullshit thats what!"

"I'd rather have Sasuke as a teammate than a teammate who talks so much shit even the damn toilet is jealous!"

"What the hell did you just say to me, you damn punk?!"

"You heard me!"

In that moment, Naruto and Kiba started to brawl. Between haphazard punches and lame kicks they managed to hit Chouji, who then also joined them in the brawl. Rock Lee and Neji managed to grab Naruto and Kiba respectively while Shino and Shikamaru grabbed Chouji. They separated the boys but they still kept angrily shouting at each other, while Neji, Shikamaru and Rock Lee tried to calm them down.

"HEY!"

The boys' voices mellowed down as they saw a young woman from her window, she had short black hair with dark eyes and large pale lips, her red kimono was open and her breasts were exposed. Annoyance marred her pixie like features as she glared at the boys, who couldn't help but stare at her.

"If you idiots aren't here to buy some pussy kindly fuck off! Go take your gay shit somewhere else! A girl is trying to earn some coin!"

The young woman then closed her windows with a bang, promptly embarrassing the boys. Rock Lee and Neji let of Kiba and Naruto while Shino and Shikamaru release Chouji. After an awkward silence of 10 minutes, Shikamaru sighed and looked at Naruto and said.

"So, do you where those training grounds are?"

"Oh, yeah I do"

"Well lets go then"

The boys followed Naruto towards the training grounds, they ran and jumped as fast as they could. Even in the night, the Uchiha Compound was teeming with life and people walking to and fro. The tea houses in particular were full of tired ninja that were just returning from missions as well as the restaurants and gambling houses that were also filled with people. After 20 minutes of intense running, Naruto stopped in front of a wooded area, Sasuke was waiting for them, he was leaning on a tree with his arms crossed. He then proceeded to walk towards them.

"What took you guys so long?"

"WHAT TOOK US SO LONG?! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR PUNK UCHIHA AS-" said Kiba as his mouth was immediately covered and pulled back by Chouji and Rock Lee. Sasuke stared at them curiously as they subdued Kiba, Naruto then took off his shoe and threw it at Sasuke. It hit him clean in the face

"What the hell was that for you blond asshole?!"

"That was for disappearing for days without letting anybody know where the fuck you were! You fucking jackass!"

"Nobody told you to go and find me, I'm a jonin I can take care of myself"

Naruto then threw his other shoe at Sasuke and again it hit him clean in the face, Sasuke officially annoyed with Naruto also threw his shoes at him. Both boys began brawling with each other; punches, kicks and hair pulling. They kept at it until Neji and Rock Lee separated them with Shikamaru and Chouji in the middle trying to ease the tensions between the boys.

"You are such a fucking jerk, you hear me Uchiha!" said Naruto as he struggled in Rock Lee's arms while Sasuke merely glared at him

"Tch and you are such a bitch"

After a few minutes, Neji and Rock Lee let go of Naruto and Sasuke, who went to look for their shoes. Sasuke looked at Naruto softly and then placed his hand on his shoulder

"I'm sorry if I worried you Naruto, it wasn't my intention. Sometimes I just need some time alone, next time I promise I won't disappear"

Naruto smiled and hugged Sasuke joyfully, but then whispered in his ear angrily

"Don't think you're off the hook that easily, you owe me for making me miss dinner at my house and for disappearing for days just to go to that brothel, Sasuke"

Sasuke laughed awkwardly as he grimaced at Naruto, he scratched his head

"Hey, why don't I take all of you guys to Ichiraku during the day? As a reward for all your troubles"

"Make it Yakiniku-Q and we're even" said Chouji

"And here I thought you didn't have money after going 5 days straight to a brothel, man the Uchihas sure have deep pockets" said Kiba with smirk

"Hey, watch it dog breath or I'm not paying for you" said Sasuke teasingly at Kiba, both boys smirked at each other as Rock Lee burst into tears.

"Friendship is so beautiful! So full of Youth!"

Rock Lee went towards the boys and hugged them as much as he could in a tender group hug, that made most of them blush and laugh. After a few minutes of hugging, the boys separated.

"Well it's late, lets get Duck butt head here back home! I'm starving" said Naruto smiling at Sasuke as Sasuke glared at him and then chuckled. As they walked Chouji exclaimed

"Man I'm beat, can't wait for tomorrow, I'm gonna get double servings of everything"

"Same here, me and Akamaru are gonna eat until we burst"

"You guys take it easy, I'm not made of money" said Sasuke as he glared at them

"You have no right to complain, this is your punishment for disappearing" said Neji as he smiled softly at Sasuke. While they accompanied Sasuke to his house, the boys shared a light conversation until they arrived at Sasuke's house. They all said their goodbyes and went to their respective homes while Sasuke climbed the window to his room. He threw himself on the bed, not even taking off his shoes, he quickly drifted to sleep as his window was left wide open as the wind brushed against his body.

Meanwhile in the gates of Konoha, a small elite group was being lectured by Fugaku Uchiha

"You were chosen because you are the best of the best, the most successful and bravest covert agents, this village has to offer and now you shall demonstrate Konoha's strength in the battle ahead. We are facing against an enemy long forgotten in the pages of history, whose strength, cunning and abilities are those of legend. Our allies in the Land of Earth are facing such an enemy, we cannot forsake them! As leaf ninja, we have a duty to keep the peace and help those who are in need. The mission is simple, we are to assist the Tsuchikage's troops in anyway we can, we fight until the last man standing, but given the secretive nature of this mission. If any of you die, your bodies will be immediately destroyed along with your ninja records. Any and all evidence of your existence in Konoha will be erased immediately, is that understood?

"Yes, sir!" said the ninja in unison

"Good, then lets move out" said Fugaku as he began to run towards the trees with the group of ninja behind him. Kenta hiding behind a tree, managed to hear the entire conversation. Making his way covertly inside of Konoha, he ran from building to building until he reached a house in the edge of the Nara clan forest. The house was a traditional style house built during the founding of the village, Kenta opened the door and entered. Inside was the figure of a person, hidden by hood and cloak.

"You're late"

"Sorry, I was gathering information"

"So tell me what do you have?"

"Right now at this very moment, a group of elite ninja have just left for the Land of Earth with no other than Fugaku Uchiha leading them. I estimate that they will arrive there in 3 days at least."

"I see, so finally Konoha has shown its true colors"

"Yes, with what I've seen, it is proof that we must act swiftly and- "

"No" said the figure as they lifted their hand to interrupt Kenta

"No? What do you mean by no?! We need to act immediately, they sending a group of ninja to help the insurgents is proof enough of their disobedience!"

"We cannot act, at least not in this particular moment. Konoha is a sleeping giant with a strategic position, incredibly talented ninja and enough resources to tip the balance over to the ninja's favor and win if we engage them blindly"

"Then what do you suppose we do"

"We need to take down Konoha from the inside, once Konoha's government becomes unstable. We take it down with our full force, but for now we need to keep doing as we have been doing for past week now. Gathering intel and observing their movements carefully" said the figure matter of factly as they crossed their arms, Kenta merely sighed and nodded

"Understood"

"Meet me here again next week" said the figure as they approached the door, Kenta grabbed their arm gently, the figure turned to face Kenta

"Be careful, these ninja are more dangerous than you realize" said Kenta worriedly, the figure brushed off Kenta's hand as they headed toward the door.

"Failing my mission is more dangerous than some idiots doing cheap parlor tricks"

And with that the figure left the house, leaving Kenta with a profound feeling of both dread and comfort.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Naruto nervously fidgeted as he waited, while Sasuke projected an air of nonchalance as he looked outside. They were, yet again, inside Hokkaido, the Edo-style barbecue inside the Uchiha Compound named after one of the neighboring cities with Edo. It began to rain again. Sasuke sighed deeply as he stared at the rain. They were in one of the restaurant's reserved V.I.P. rooms, complete with a tatami floor and roof, a beautiful wooden chabudai and ceramic bowls and chopsticks with a beautiful lacquer finish. Sasuke sat next to the open window dressed in his usual attire-loose green pants with a black shirt and a high collar, purple, short sleeved jacket. Naruto was wearing his usual black and orange jumpsuit. Sasuke flexed his fingers as he stared at the ring Sakura got him when their team first passed the chunin exams, looking at it with nostalgia. He smiled briefly.

"Hey Naruto, you remember when we got theses rings?" Sasuke asked as he looked at Naruto, smiling while he pointed at the ring on his middle finger. Naruto looked at him and smiled as well as he lifted his hand and showed his ring.

"Hell yeah, I remember. Kakashi-sensei took us to Hokkaido as a reward for passing the chunin exams."

"Those were some good times, I still remember Sakura's face when she found out that the inn we were staying in only had mixed baths," Sasuke chuckled, Naruto then smiled and laughed.

"Yeah! Oh, and remember when we played ping-pong until dark? I kicked your ass!"

"I remember that somewhat differently," Sasuke said as he smirked at Naruto as he moved to sit next to him on the tatami floor. Naruto laughed softly as he stared at the ring on his own hand, silver with an orange stripe and a narutomaki charm in the middle. Sasuke's was the same except he had a dark blue stripe with a tomato charm in the middle.

"Hey Naruto, do you ever think about the future?"

"The future?"

"Yeah, the future."

"Hmm, not really," said Naruto as he scratched his head, then looked at Sasuke thoughtfully. "I like to live life in the moment ya know? There's no use in thinking ahead if you don't know what's going to happen. Believe it."

Sasuke sighed deeply as he stared at his ring thoughtfully. "Well, think about it Naruto. After the war happened life has been too slow and too predictable. What's next for us? After your old man retires, you'll take up the mantle of hokage and probably marry Hinata, while I'll probably become part of the Konoha military police force and work alongside my brother, as well as getting married, if not with Sakura then with some Uchiha girl my parents have arranged for me."

Naruto looked at Sasuke with a curious expression. "I guess so, though the marriage part is a bit exaggerated. I don't know if Hinata likes me enough for us to get married," Naruto laughed bashfully and blushed. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"She's liked you since we were kids, dude."

"What?! Really?! I never noticed," Naruto said in surprise, making Sasuke massage his temples in annoyance.

"Of course you idiot! Why do you think she was even bothering to go out with you now?"

"I thought it was because I'm a big shot hero with charming looks and riveting personality," Naruto winked and smirked at Sasuke who rolled his eyes, sighing in annoyance and massaging his temples yet again.

"Sasuke, you're making it sound as if slow and predictable is a bad thing. I wouldn't mind settling down with a cute wife and a nice house and maybe have some kids. I mean, if that's what the future holds for me then that's fine with me. I'm tired of wars and pointless battles." Naruto smiled thoughtfully at Sasuke and placed his arm around his shoulders. Sasuke looked at Naruto with a thoughtful look in his eye. "Cheer up, Sasuke. I mean, sure, peace isn't what we expected but hey, our village is safe, we have our families and most importantly, we're alive. And we need to cherish that."

"I guess so" murmured Sasuke as the rain came down harder, raindrops came through the open window as they began touch the tatami floor, staining it. Naruto stood up and closed the window, then turned to Sasuke with a worried expression.

"It's really coming down hard. I wonder if the girls are all right."

"They're probably fine. Stop worrying so much Naruto," Sasuke replied, smiling lightly at Naruto. Naruto smiled back and sat next to him.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just nervous, you know? I really want things between all of us to work out. Especially you, Sasuke. I really want you and Sakura to be happy. You both have gone through a lot especially since the war and you deserve a little happiness, no matter how mundane you think it is, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and smiled warmly as Naruto placed his arm over his shoulder but suddenly he put Sasuke in a choking hold. Sasuke struggled as Naruto tightened his hold, scowling at Sasuke.

"Hey! Let go of me, you blond asshole!"

"You better not go back to that brothel you hear me? Don't think I've forgotten about that, you dick."

"You aren't the boss of me! Now, let me go goddamn it!"

"What possible reason can you have to go back there? Tell me damn it!"

Naruto stayed quiet as Sasuke sighed deeply. Naruto let go of Sasuke and they stared at each other for a while.

"Well, are you going to tell me or not?" Naruto glared, annoyed, at Sasuke.

Sasuke glared back, his face slowly turned red. He took deep breaths and looked at Naruto.

"There's a girl."

"A girl?"

"Yeah, a girl." Sasuke looked away from Naruto's gaze and crossed his arms.

"So what? There are thousands of girls in Konoha. Besides, all prostitutes care about is one thing: money. It's like Jiraiya-sensei always sai-"

"She's different."

"They all say that and behave like that to get money, Sasuke," Naruto said as he looked sternly at Sasuke. Sasuke shook his head.

"She hasn't charged me. Not once since I started seeing her. So your argument is moot."

"Ohhhh, well I guess she must be a freak in bed since you did disappear for various days," said Naruto as he smirked at Sasuke. Sasuke scowled at him, profoundly embarrassed. His face was flushed and he could barely speak without stuttering.

"I-i-its not like that! Damn it, Naruto! Why do you have to make everything sound s-s-so lewd?"

"Well what am I supposed to think? She is a prostitute and that is her job. What other possible reason could you have for seeing her all the time?" Naruto crossed his arms and looked at Sasuke thoughtfully. Sasuke sighed deeply and stared at the tatami floor, his face completely red as he tried to regain his composure.

"I like talking to her. She has very different point of view on many things that I find pretty refreshing. She also listens to me and she's kind, even though she makes horrible tea," Sasuke chuckled slightly. "I don't expect you to understand, Naruto. I know that what I'm doing is wrong but I enjoy her company."

"What about Sakura?" Naruto asked seriously.

Sasuke looked away dejectedly.

"What about her?" replied Sasuke flatly

"What do you mean "what about her"? You know very clearly what I'm talking about here! You guys are dating! Aren't you at least a bit concerned over her feelings if she finds out that you're seeing another woman? And a prostitute at that!"

"Koyuki is my friend, Naruto. I'm not cheating on Sakura by going to see a friend. Besides me and Sakura have just started dating, let's not rush things." said Sasuke as he massaged his temples exasperatedly, Naruto considered Sasuke thoughtfully as he crossed his arms.

"Well, all right. If that's what she is to you, then it's fine by me, although I am surprised. And here I thought you were incapable of talking to women." said Naruto with smirked widely as Sasuke scowled back.

The slide doors opened and there stood Hinata and Sakura, both soaked to the bone and shivering. Naruto quickly got up on his feet and took off his jacket as he went towards Hinata.

"Hinata, are you ok?! You're soaked!" Naruto placed his jacket on Hinata.

She smiled softly at Naruto and grabbed his hand tenderly. "Sakura and I forgot to bring umbrellas while we were leaving my house. But I'm ok Naruto-kun, sorry for worrying both of you."

Sasuke walked up towards Sakura and stood there, staring at her awkwardly. He sighed and scratched his head as Sakura shivered.

"I'm going to get you and Hinata some towels from the bathroom, I'll be right back," Sasuke said as he gestured to a door at the far right of the room.

"Oh, ok...Thanks Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she smiled shyly at Sasuke. Sasuke nodded his head as he went towards the bathroom. Sakura then sat in front of the chabudai table with Naruto and Hinata sitting opposite of her.

Naruto scowled at Sasuke as he entered the bathroom. "What a dick. I swear, you've got awful taste in men, Sakura-chan."

"Ah, he's not so bad. He's the man I've chosen to love," Sakura smiled.

"Sakura-chan, you deserve better. Like, you deserve a guy that every time he saw you he would want to scream your name from the rooftops and leave you flowers and gifts at your doorstep and would serenade you every chance he saw you," said Naruto passionately while raising his fist in the air.

"And that, Hinata-chan, is why Naruto and I broke up," Sakura stated with a big smile as Hinata laughed shyly as Naruto pouted. "You're so mean, Sakura-chan."

Sakura and Hinata giggled loudly as Sasuke returned with two light green towels. He sat next to Sakura. He passed one of the towels to Hinata and handed the other gently to Sakura. Sakura smiled gently at Sasuke as she whispered, "Thanks, Sasuke-kun."

"You're welcome," he nodded at Sakura politely with a light smile, which made her blush deeply.

Naruto stood up abruptly and looked for the waitress assigned to their room. After a few minutes the waitress entered the room with Naruto and several other waitresses that brought them their food and drink.

Mid-morning turned into evening as they enjoyed each others company. Sakura had placed her arm around Sasuke's arm as she shared jokes with Hinata, who had her hand laced with a blushing Naruto's, who was laughing and smiling at every joke. Sasuke stood up with Naruto and took care of the bill, while the girls were waiting on them.

"Hey, Hinata."

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Have you ever thought about getting married?"

"Oh, well...I would be lying if I said I wasn't."

"Well, I've thought about it a great deal and to be completely honest, I wouldn't mind settling down. I've already got the rank of jonin, served in a war and was a disciple of Tsunade, I've served my country enough to last me a lifetime as well as gotten a lot of positive experiences that have made me grow into a much better person."

"Oh, but I thought you didn't want to get married, Sakura-chan? You said you didn't want to give up being a kunoichi for anything in the world."

"Yeah, but I said that because I hadn't found the right guy yet, you know? Like I had dumped Naruto like two months before and my fling with Kiba ended in disaster and let's not mention the fact that Lee wouldn't stop asking me out and that Neji wouldn't even give me the time of day. My love life back then was a total disaster, Hinata-chan. My only solace was my job, why would I want to give it up?" Sakura served herself a cup of sake and drank it in one gulp. Hinata looked at Sakura and smiled awkwardly.

"That was a difficult time for all of the girls. Remember when Ino tried to seduce Sai? Or when Ten-Ten went on a date with Shino?"

"Oh man! I remember that! We needed like four combs to get all the bugs out of her hair!" Sakura burst out laughing and Hinata joined in.

"I take it that Sasuke-kun is the man you have in mind?"

"Yes. I've never been more happier, honestly. Sure, I will admit that I wish that Sasuke would open up to me and be a tad more affectionate, but I don't mind it. It just makes him cuter and so cool." Sakura blushed and squealed a bit as Hinata smiled joyfully at her and grabbed her hand.

"I'm glad you finally found a man who is deserving of you and makes you so happy, Sakura-chan. Honestly, you picked well. The Uchihas are very handsome men. Sasuke will make a good husband. Besides, I've heard that the Uchihas are very good lovers as well."

"What about you, Hinata-chan? Have you thought about marrying Naruto? I mean, once you overlook the constant cheerfulness, immaturity and never ending energy, he's a nice guy. And I know that he would make a good husband."

"I have thought about it but it is out of my hands, Sakura-chan. My father is the one that determines who I must marry in order to keep the secrets and techniques of our clan from falling into enemy hands, as well as marry someone that will preserve the purity of the blood of the main house. So even if I wanted to marry Naruto-kun, I don't know if I could," Hinata replied sadly. Sakura moved towards her and gave her a hug, grabbing Hinata's shoulder gently and smiling at her.

"Don't worry so much. Ok, Hinata-chan? I mean, Naruto ain't your run of the mill ninja. He's the hero of the fourth ninja war and the son of the Hokage. Your father is not gonna say no to such an accomplished ninja, so everything will be all right."

The girls smiled at each other and laughed again as they hugged each other. The boys entered the room with their umbrellas in their hands and gestured at the girls.

"Hey, are you girls ready to go? We're going to Sasuke's house. His mom made cookies and tea, so he invited us," Naruto said with a broad smile while Sasuke glared at him.

"More like you invited yourselves," said Sasuke as the girls and Naruto laughed.

Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand tenderly and helped her stand up while Sasuke waited for Sakura to stand up. As they went towards the exit, Sakura couldn't help but stare lovingly at Sasuke as she reached towards his hand. Sasuke flinched and blushed as soon as he felt Sakura's fingers on his palm, he extended his arm towards Sakura as she grabbed it tenderly, Once they reached the exit, Naruto and Sasuke opened their umbrellas and walked outside.

They walked close to each other as they made their way to the shopping district of the Uchiha compound. The streets were littered with stores and carts of people selling their wares, the merchants' voices filled the streets as their voices meshed with those of their buyers. Lights of all shapes and colors illuminated the district, giving it a distinct beauty that was amplified with the rain. They stopped at a cart with an abundance of hair accessories and stuffed animals, Sakura and Hinata squealed and gasped as they admired the carts wares. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and smiled slightly as the girls tried on various accesories, until they finally settled on something. Hinata picked a frog hairclip with an orange Fox plush and Sakura picked a Red hair bow with dark blue Cat plush, the merchant placed the things in two small pink bags and gave them to the girls.

"That'll be 7,000 yen"

Naruto scrambled for his wallet, and opened it with an aghast expression. He had blown off his entire paycheck paying dinner at Hokkaido. Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder as he pulled out his wallet.

"Don't worry, I got it"

Naruto scratched his head embarrassed as Sasuke pulled out a 10,000 yen bill from his wallet. The Merchant looked at Sasuke with a surprised expression

"Wait! Aren't you Sasuke Uchiha? The son of Fugaku Uchiha?"

"Yes" said Sasuke as he nodded curtly at the merchant, the merchant looked at Sasuke with a smile beaming from his face as he bowed at Sasuke

"Please accept my most sincere appreciation and thanks"

The merchant then faced Sasuke yet again

"Your father saved me and my caravan from thieves when I was travelling and offered me a new start here in your compound. I owe him a great debt, it would be dishonorable for me to even think of charging you, please take this for free it's the least I can do" said the merchant as he gestured to the bags in the girls' hands. Sasuke smiled and handed the 10,000 yen bill to the merchant's hands, the merchant looked at the bill with a puzzled expresion.

"Take it and keep the change, it would be dishonorable for me to take advantage of your kindness in such a way. You have a family to maintain and a life to live and its not cheap, so please take it."

The merchant took the bill and bowed yet again at Sasuke, as he and the others kept on walking, Naruto scowled at Sasuke

"How come you always get the free stuff? I'm the hero of the fourth ninja war and that still doesn't happen to me!"

"You wouldn't need free stuff if you knew how to manage your money properly, idiot" said Sasuke flatly

"Says the guy who wasted 20,000 yen on a kabuki poster"

"Listen here, you idiot that was an Ukiyo-e painting, not a goddamn poster like the ones that you buy"

"Pfft painting my ass, that was a poster and you know it."

"Naruto you-"

Suddenly Sakura placed her lips on Sasuke's mouth, Sasuke immediately turned beet red as Sakura then glared at Naruto and laced her fingers on Sasuke's hand.

"Stop picking fights with Sasuke! You should be grateful that Sasuke was there to pay for us, and Sasuke leave Naruto alone, he did pay for our dinner so you should be grateful too."

Both Naruto and Sasuke mumbled apologies under their breaths, Hinata giggled as she took hold of Naruto's arm. The girls walked hand in hand with Naruto and Sasuke looking at more carts and shops sharing jokes and pleasantries along the way when suddenly Sasuke stopped abruptly.

"Sasuke-kun? What's wrong?" said Sakura worriedly, without saying a single word, Sasuke ran, the smell of chrysanthemums and sakura petals lingered in the wind even with the rain, the smell was strong enough for Sasuke to follow, he knew that there was only one person it belonged to. In a small vegetable stand near the entrance to a gambling parlor was a young woman with long black hair plaited to the side, she had a light blue kimono and white obi belt as well as a dark blue haori with white tabi socks and zori sandals, she was carrying a straw basket on her arm while she held onto an umbrella. She was busy negotiating with the merchant when Sasuke saw her, Sasuke stayed there taking in the sight of her as the rain fell on him drenching him like the first time he spent vigilant in front of the brothel. The young woman placed her purchases inside the straw basket as she turned, she faced Sasuke who was wet from the rain, she looked at him surprised.

"Oh, Sasuke-sama what a pleasant surprise, I didn't think I would see you here"

Sasuke merely looked away embarrassed, a million thoughts were going through his mind without him noticing the young woman got closer towards Sasuke until they were merely an inch apart. Sasuke flinched as he turned bright red

"Wha-wha-what are you doing?"

"Shielding you from the rain" said the young woman as she pointed to the umbrella that was above Sasuke's head, Sasuke scratched his head bashfully

"Sorry, I guess I always end up being a nuisance everytime we see each other, Koyuki-san"

"Thats because you're reckless Sasuke-sama, but its ok I find that cute about you" said Koyuki as she winked and smiled at him, Sasuke's ears turned bright red from embarrassment as he looked away again. Koyuki then placed her hand on his cheek and traced his jawline with her fingers, she sighed in exasperation

"Look at you, you're completely soaked…" Koyuki said as she looked at Sasuke with concern, she sighed as she smiled sadly at Sasuke "Don't visit me tonight, please stay home Sasuke-sama"

Sasuke's face contorted into an expression of pure horror, his mind was racing. Worry, sadness, anger and guilt, Sasuke placed his hand on Koyuki's cheek as he stared deeply into her eyes, his voice as racing and high pitched.

"Why? Did something happen? Were you found out? Are they going to-" suddenly Koyuki placed her hand on Sasuke's mouth as she sighed exasperated

"Its not that Sasuke-sama, you're completely wet and I don't want you catching a cold. So please stay home and rest"

"O-oh, I'm sorry Koyuki-san, I always make you worry about me" said Sasuke as he smiled sadly at Koyuki, Koyuki merely giggled as she pulled a handkerchief from her breast and wiped Sasuke's face gently.

"Don't worry Sasuke-sama, I don't mind, but I do mean it, go home and rest if I catch you on my window tonight. I'm pushing you off" said Koyuki as she stuck her tongue out at Sasuke, Sasuke then looked at Koyuki surprised as he then pouted at her.

"You're mean, Koyuki-san"

Suddenly a loud voice and various footsteps was heard amidst the rain

"Hey Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned towards the direction of the voice, Sasuke's face turned into one of horror as he realized that the voice belonged to Naruto. Sasuke fidgeted nervously as Naruto and the girls approached him, Koyuki squeezed his arm in reassurance. Naruto and the girls came face to face with Sasuke and Koyuki. Sakura looked at Koyuki with distrust while Hinata looked at her curiously, Naruto merely froze unable to say a single word.

"Oh, so thats why you look so handsome today! You should've told me you were on a date Sasuke-sama" said Koyuki giggling, Sasuke smiled awkwardly at Koyuki as he tried to avoid eye contact with Sakura who looked incensed.

"I'm not just his date, I'm his girlfriend, I'm Sakura Haruno and you are?"

"Oh, my name is Koyuki, its very nice to meet you" said Koyuki as she bowed politely "If its too much trouble, may I know your friends names Haruno-san?"

"My name is Hinata Hyuuga and this is Naruto Uzumaki" said Hinata as she gestured at Naruto. Koyuki looked at Naruto with a surprised expression

"You mean Naruto Uzumaki, The hero of the Fourth Ninja war, Naruto Uzumaki? Son of the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yeah thats me" said Naruto smiling shyly at Koyuki, Koyuki's surprised expression turned into one of adoration as she clasped her hands together and blushed slightly

"Oh wow, I never thought I would meet such a famous and handsome person. I'm so glad I decided to go shopping today."

Naruto blushed a deep red from head to toe as he scratched his head in embarrassment, Koyuki pouted at Sasuke "You never told me you were friends with such an important person Sasuke-sama"

"It must've slipped my mind" Sasuke mumbled, Koyuki then bowed towards Naruto and said "Thank you for everything you did to keep this village safe Uzumaki-sama, I hope you will continue to protect this village with all your strength"

Koyuki stood up and faced Sasuke's friends, Naruto chuckled loudly as he grinned at Koyuki while giving her a thumbs up "Don't worry, as long as I'm breathing I'll protect the village so that cute girls like you will be able to walk without fear"

"Oh? Brave _and_ chivalrous, he's a good catch Hyuuga-sama. Be careful that other women don't snatch him up!" said Koyuki giggling, as Hinata blushed deeply and took hold of Naruto's hand. Naruto on the other hand was staring at Koyuki as he smiled dumbly at her. Sakura looked at both Koyuki and Sasuke with an annoyed expression on her face, she grabbed Sasuke by his arm and dragged him towards her.

"Well its getting late, and your mom is waiting for us, right Sasuke-kun?"

"Oh...right, yeah" said Sasuke sadly, Koyuki then nodded curtly as she smiled at all of them

"Well let me not keep you any longer! It was nice meeting all of you and also take care of yourself Sasuke-sama"

Koyuki turned and started to walk as her dark blue umbrella was lost in the crowd and mist, Hinata then looked at Sasuke who kept following Koyuki with his gaze.

"Um, Sasuke-kun how much farther is your home?"

"Oh, its not so far from here, only a couple of more blocks"

"Oh! Thats good, I can't wait to get out of the rain and cuddle with you Sasuke-kun!" said Sakura as she laced her fingers with Sasuke's hand. Sasuke then sighed as he lead his friends towards his house, the rain kept on getting worse until they had to run as quickly as possible towards Sasuke's home. Sasuke lived close to one of the training grounds of the Uchiha compound, he lived in a traditional mansion that had Edo like architecture. Its tiled roof was of a dark blue color while the walls were of a light gray, they arrived at the gate. Sasuke opened it gently as he guided his friends inside, a light shone from the inside of the house as a feminine silhouette was seen moving to and fro. Sasuke approached the large wooden door in the middle of the house and opened it with his key, he gestured Naruto, Sakura and Hinata to enter. The entrance to Sasuke's home was opulent with dark wooden floors and priceless art pieces hanging on its walls, Sasuke placed his jacket on a wooden coat rack that was on his right

"Mom, I'm home and I brought some friends with me!" exclaimed Sasuke as he was taking his shoes off and placing them on wooden shoe rack that was next to the coat rack. A woman's voice could be heard booming through the house as the smell of food followed

"Ah! Sasuke-chan, tell your friends to come in, you all are just in time for dinner!"

"Hey, leave your coats and shoes there ok?" said Sasuke as he looked at his friends, they all nodded at him and proceeded to take their shoes and coats, Sakura immediately took hold of Sasuke's arm as she complained about Naruto taking so long with Hinata laughing at Sakura's remark. Sasuke guided them towards the dining room, Sasuke's dining room was a traditional edo style dining room with a large wooden chabudai and small pillows instead of chairs. Next to the chabudai was a sliding door that connected to the backyard, the sliding door was open as Itachi and Shisui were playing shogi on the tatami porch.

"Yo, Sasuke you're home!"

"Hey Shisui, hey Itachi what did mom make for dinner?"

"I dunno, I think it was rice-"

"We're not staying for dinner Sasuke" said Itachi sternly as he moved a shogi piece

"Why not? I'm starving Itachi" whined Shisui as he moved a piece absentmindedly. Itachi looked at Sasuke and Naruto seriously as he moved a shogi piece "Because we've summoned by the Hokage, we were just waiting for you to get home and check"

Itachi moved a final piece as he stood leaving behind a bewildered Shisui staring at the shogi board, Sasuke nodded at Itachi as he gestured Naruto to follow him and Itachi.

"Whoa hey, wait a second shouldn't I come too? I'm Sasuke and Naruto's teammate, I should be there with them!"

"Haruno-san this doesn't concern you, Naruto and Sasuke were summoned by the Hokage not Team 7. So please stay here with Hyuuga-san while we go and talk the Hokage, we won't be long" said Itachi seriously at Sakura as he gestured Shisui, Naruto and Sasuke to follow them, on their way to the exit Shisui began to complain about Itachi's shogi skills while Sasuke laughed and Naruto complained about missing dinner, the girls looked worriedly at each other as they sat at the table.

Meanwhile at the Hokage's office, Minato looked sternly at the red headed young man that was sitting in front of him. On his right sat a bespectacled woman in a dark green kimono with a golden obi belt and dark blue ninja sandals, her long black hair was groomed in a shimada mage hairstyle with a golden comb. She looked seriously at Minato as she folded her hands on a large book that was on her lap; on his left was tall young man wearing a black kimono like shirt with black trousers and black ninja sandals, his face was framed with a black hood with cat like ears and elaborate purple make up. Suddenly the door opened and in came, a young woman with blonde hair groomed in four consecutive pony tails, she wore a short-sleeved black kimono that with slits along the side with a red sash instead of an obi belt, her black ninja sandals matched her black fingerless gloves. She gestured for Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui to enter, Minato stood up to face them.

"I'm sorry to call on you on such a late time, but things have changed and right now we need to be on high alert"

"Dad whats going on? What is Temari, Kankuro and Gaara doing here?"

"So the coup d'etat in the Suna finally happened" said Shisui nonchalantly as he scratched his head, he looked at seriously at Itachi as he nodded and faced the hokage.

"We didn't expect it to be so soon, our informants recently gave us information that the insurgents lacked resources and were not organized enough to mount a successful coup" said Itachi as he crossed his arms, suddenly the woman in the kimono stood up her pointed face stared at Itachi sternly as she spoke in flat tone

"Then your informants were mediocre, we believe that the insurgents were financed and helped by someone in Kyo with enough money and resources for them them to acquire anti ninja weaponry and mercenary troops. As well with competent strategists that enabled them to defeat and take hold of Suna in less than a few days, the flames of political uprisings are spreading leaf ninja. It won't be long until the Daimyos catch word of what happened in Suna and then will be dealing with an even bigger problem."

"Who are you?" Sasuke stated as he looked at the woman, Gaara stood up and placed his hand on the woman's shoulder as he faced them

"This is Kiriko, she's my most trusted advisor, you can trust her and I apologize if comes off as dry, please take no offense." Gaara sighed deeply as he took his hand off Kiriko's shoulder

"But she is right, as your hokage well knows the threat of the samurai is very real. I tried to show to the Daimyos Suna's allegiance in a bid to prevent them from sending their samurai towards us but I'm afraid Suna will burn."

"Samurais? What are you talking about? Samurais haven't been seen since the first ninja war and we ninja have no quarrel with the Land of Iron, why would they be any threat to us now?" said Sasuke worriedly at the Hokage, who merely sighed as he placed his hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"Sasuke, I'm afraid thats not entirely true. At the end of the first ninja war when the samurais retired back to their home in the Land of Iron, a few samurai clans defected from their land in favor of serving the powerful Daimyos of the Five Great Shinobi countries and so they became known throughout the land for their power and strength. Currently there two known Samurai clans, The Gonzen clan who serves the Daimyo of Fire and The Aizu clan which serves the Daimyo of Wind. They are both equally strong and are known for their potent rivalry against each other as well as their military prowess, at the moment the only thing we know is that one of theses clans has been actively working to crush any and all villages who have become rogue states operating outside of the Daimyos control. Konoha had managed to maintain a neutral facade while Suna openly supported the Daimyos in an effort to keep the them from sending theses forces but it seems that it was all for nothing, At this rate we can anticipate that the Wind Daimyo is preparing his forces for a counterattack on Suna, and they will most likely send their samurai."

"Let theses Samurai come, if they wanna a fight then they got one" said Naruto angrily as he pointed at his father "I'm tired of sitting here and not doing anything while our ninja brothers are out there dying while fighting for our right to live without the incompetence of the Daimyos, I'll take down a thousand samurai if I-"

"YOU ARROGANT FOOL"

Suddenly Naruto was interrupted by Kiriko whose face contorted with pure rage as she faced Naruto who was taken aback.

"Do you not know what the samurai will do to Konoha if Konoha decides to help the rebellion in any way?! They will come here and destroy everything you hold dear, Konoha will burn and they will do it with no mercy for woman, child or elder as their blood will pave the streets. You best pray to any god that you worship that the Daimyos send The Gozen clan who will at least grant the women and children as quick death because if it is the Aizu clan, they will enslave and sell the children to the highest bidder while the women are condemned to be raped and tortured for the rest of their lives in the torture chambers of Aizu clan's main residence in Kyo. You have no hope in facing this formidable foe in your current state, you have less than half of your military resources and units since the end of the Fourth ninja war that ended less than a year ago, you have no prior knowledge of even the basics of samurai combat in order to counteract it and you believe that just because you are the jinchuuriki and the hero of this village that you will be able to face them?! You are signing yourself up for an early grave! And you would be a fool to not recognize it!"

The atmosphere in the room became tense after Kiriko's outburst, Naruto was bewildered as the Uchihas remained silent. The sand siblings exchanged worried looks between each other as Minato rubbed his temples in exasperation.

"Kiriko-san is right Naruto, we can't face such a formidable foe blindly it could cost us more than just a few wounded ninja. We need to proceed carefully which is why I called you all here. You are to provide temporary housing for the Kazekage and his family as well as security, now you are some of the best that the Leaf village has to offer so I hope that you take this job as seriously and with the discretion it deserves."

"Of course Hokage, I will place them in protective custody with only the best ninja from the Military Police, they will not leave my sight"

"Sasuke, Naruto and I will take turns guarding them and get them everything they need. The Anbu will provide fake identities and disguises for all of them, as well as grant them a house in the Uchiha compound."

"Good, I have faith in your abilities, now you may leave except for Itachi and Shisui. I would like a word with them in private"

"Understood Lord Hokage" said Sasuke as he bowed towards Minato, Naruto and him guided the Sand siblings and Kiriko outside while Itachi and Shisui approached Minato as he was sitting down in his chair. Minato grabbed a file from one of the drawers in his desk and placed it on the desk. Shisui and Itachi looked at it as Minato pushed it towards them

"I trust that you both are aware of Fugaku's mission to the Land of Earth"

"He had notified both us since he did take ninja from both the Anbu and the Konoha Military Police Force, I'm sure you are here to tell us the reasons regarding the mission" said Itachi as he grabbed the file, Minato sighed as he pulled yet another file from his desk and gave it to Shisui.

"Fugaku's mission is only part of the reason why I have asked to speak with both you. As you well know Fugaku went to help to help the cause in Iwagakure but that's not all. He also went there to curb the assault of samurai already seen tearing Iwa's forces to shreds, before he left for his mission, he had told me of his suspicious regarding samurais infiltrating the village and so he began compiling information on my orders on any possible suspects or places that might house them. Shortly before his departure, he had given me this file as well as telling me some information that left me quite shocked to be quite honest."

"And what information was that, Lord Hokage?" said Shisui as he and Itachi exchanged looks of worry. Minato leaned on his desk towards them as he looked at them seriously

"Fugaku had stated to me that he believed that the infiltrator in the Konoha village was not one but two women hiding inside the village."

"Women? I thought samurai clans were notorious for denying women powerful positions in the clan much less becoming samurai."

"Thats what I thought too until I read Fugaku's report, he came to that conclusion after he researched the Gonzen clan and found that the head of the clan was indeed a woman. That contrary to what is taught in the academy, women can hold prestigious positions inside the clan even become samurai, except that theses women are called by a different name. So that was the reason why Fugaku could not find anything on theses female samurai using the term samurai."

"So what are they called then?"

"They are called Onna-bugeishas, female warriors trained in the art of samurai. Just like our kunoichis they are given special training, the only difference is that Kunoichis learn medical skills that are imperative in a three man while Onna-bugeisha learns how to seduce and deceive men using their feminine charms as well as infiltration tactics. They are highly skilled and extraordinarily dangerous, they are notorious for their beauty as well as their skill, Fugaku inferred that since the Fire Daimyo knew that we would be looking for a man once we caught wind of Iwa's attack, that the best course of action to take would be to send a woman."

"Were fathers suspicious proved correct?"

"Yes, he tracked down every single immigrant that was registered in the Office of Demographics, that came to live here in the past few months. And what he found was that in these past few months that there has been an influx of female immigrants coming to and fro from Edo."

"The capital of the Land of Fire…" said Shisui absentmindedly while Minato nodded

"Exactly, now Fugaku put together a description of what we would be looking for. We're looking for young women possibly between the ages of 20 to 25 with black or brown hair with traditional edo-style tattoos covering her entire back and extending to her wrists, due to the tendency of samurai clans to tattoo themselves. He also estimated that their eye color would fluctuate between green, black and purple as well as their skin color would be pale white, due to this being a characteristic of Gozen clan's women. They would most likely be posing as merchants of some sorts or as shirabyoshi dancers at a tea house, since they are the occupations that most of theses immigrants applied as. I need you two to find out exactly where theses women is and arrest them, once you do that…"

"I assume that we're free to use extreme force if necessary?" asked Shisui as he glanced at the file, Minato merely nodded as he looked at both of them.

"Do not underestimate them, if they so much resist you are free to take them down using any force necessary. Now I trust I don't have to remind both of you of the importance of keeping such an enemy alive."

"No, of course not Lord Hokage, I assume that you would want them interrogated at the headquarters of the Military Police or would you prefer the Anbu prisons?"

"We'll keep them here, I would like to interrogate them myself along with Inoichi and Ibiki. You two are to provide assistance as well, if neither of them can get through to them I want the two of you to use your sharingans to get information out of them. Once they has given us what we need, we can leave them to rot in the prisons of the Anbu, I will tolerate no failure on your parts. Now as soon as you accommodate the Kazekage, I want this to be your highest priority...Am I clear?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage" said Shisui and Itachi in unison, Minato nodded at them as he pointed to the door.

"Good, you are dismissed."

Itachi and Shisui bowed politely at the Hokage as they left his office, outside was Naruto, Sasuke, The Sand Siblings and Kiriko waiting for them. Itachi looked sternly at everyone as Shisui handed him his file, Shisui passed his hand through his hair as Itachi spoke.

"Shisui and Naruto here will take you to an inn where you'll be staying until we can find permanent accommodations for you. In the morning Shisui will take you to Konoha's intelligence division where you'll be given new identities and appearances for you to live in Konoha, Sasuke you stay here, I need to speak with you."

"Brother, I need to leave with Naru-"

"Shisui, Naruto you have your orders, now go"

Shisui and Naruto escorted The Sand Siblings and Kiriko out of the corridor while Itachi waited until they were no longer visible. Sasuke looked at Itachi curiously

"Itachi, what is going on?"

"We can't speak here, meet me at the training grounds near our house."

Itachi did a tiger hand sign and immediately disappeared beneath a cloud of smoke, Sasuke shook his head in disbelief and followed suit. They both appeared instantly in a wooden area, Sasuke, Itachi and Shisui often practiced here so it was a place where Sasuke could feel safe. But right now his head was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, he looked at the files Itachi had on his hands.

"Look, the situation in Konoha has changed Sasuke. First the village of Sound is decimated by an unknown force as well as ninja settlements to the northwest of Takigakure, then Iwagakure is attacked by a samurai who is all but destroying its forces, which prompts the Hokage to send father and an elite group of ninjas to aid Iwa in its efforts and then Suna is subjected to a violent coup d'etat aided by reinforcements supposedly from Kyo which cause The Kazekage and his family to flee to Konoha for their own safety. Things are only going to get worse from here on out and I need to make sure that you are up to the task."

"Brother, you know that I will do everything in my power to make sure that The Sand Siblings are not harmed and-"

"I'm sure you will, but that's not what I'm asking of you Sasuke" said Itachi as he interrupted Sasuke

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Its no secret that you are often visiting a prostitute at that brothel on the edge of the compound Sasuke"

Sasuke sighed deeply as he looked at Itachi who was handing him a file. Sasuke took it and looked at it puzzled

"The Hokage suspects that there are samurai already infiltrating the village, they are hiding out as merchants or shirabyoshi dancers at tea houses and since a prostitute's walls are paper thin, she might know something"

"You want me to use Koyuki-san as an informant?"

"Yes, but I need to know if you are up for this, I can see your attachment to her... Sasuke if it poses an issue...I have no problem doing it myself, I would like to meet the woman who has such a hold on my little broth-"

"No, its fine, I'll do it...I can handle it"

"Are you sure? There is no room for failure Sasuke"

"I can, if its for the safety of the village, I will do anything."

"Good, now I leave you with Shisui's file, study it well, for tomorrow Shisui will come and pick it up. Now I'll see you home Sasuke"

And with that Itachi disappeared beneath a cloud of smoke, leaving Sasuke alone in the training grounds. He smirked as he realized that his life was about to get more interesting from here on out.


End file.
